Kelly M. Steckler

Kelly Steckler was born February 29, 1972, in Fargo. Kelly's birth mother chose life for Kelly; for this choice, our family will be forever grateful. Kelly Steckler, 44, Mandan, donned her angel wings on October 16, 2016, at Sanford Health. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, October 21st, at Spirit of Life Catholic Church, Mandan. Burial will follow at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery. Visitation will be held Thursday, October 20th, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Weigel Funeral Home, Mandan, where a prayer service will begin at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue on Friday, one hour prior to the service at the church. At eighteen months Kelly was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis which limited her physical activity for her entire life. Kelly's joys in her life were her cat, horses, dogs, and her Green Bay Packers! Kelly graduated from Mandan High School in 1990, the University of Mary in 1994 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and a minor in Computer Information Systems. In 1999, she completed the Bismarck-Mandan Leadership program through Bismarck State College. Kelly earned a Master's Degree in Library Science from the University of North Texas in 2003. She was a member of Beta Phi Mu International Library and Information Studies Honor Society. Kelly started working at the Mandan Public Library in 1988 as a circulation clerk, in 1994 became Assistant Director, and in 2004 she became the Library Director of the combined Morton Mandan Public Library. She served as the Central Dakota Library Network's Financial Officer for over twenty years. Kelly was very active professionally, and was a member of American Library Association, the Mountain Plains Library Association, and the North Dakota Library Association. In over twenty years of service to the North Dakota Library Association, Kelly was an inaugural member of The Good Stuff Editorial Committee, the Public Library Section Chair, and a member of the Strategic Communications, Planning Committee and served as the Association's Legislative Committee Chair starting in 2006. In 2007, she received the President's Recognition Award for her outstanding work as the Legislative Chair. She advocated on behalf of all North Dakota public libraries and testified several times before the legislative body in support of State Aid. Numerous legislators knew her by name. Her contributions have made a lasting impact that will strengthen libraries for years to come. She also served on the Bismarck-Mandan Mayor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, Mandan Tomorrow Leadership Pride & Image Committee, and was a past Director on the Mandan Progress Organization Board. Kelly was very active in the Arthritis Foundation and in 2006 she was chosen as North Dakota's representative to attend the Arthritis Foundation Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C. She served on Arthritis Foundation's North Dakota Leadership Board and was the 2007 and 2016 Bismarck-Mandan Arthritis Walk Honoree. Kelly's family thanks the Sanford 7th Floor nurses, staff, and doctors for the caring , compassionate care for Kelly during her journey the past several years.. One of Kelly's favorite quotes was, "She believed she could, so she did." This statement epitomizes how Kelly led her life and everyone who was lucky enough to know her can attest to that. Kelly is survived by her mother, Helen; her brothers Todd (Mayra) and their children, Angela and Jacob of McAllen, Texas, and Scott (Kathy) of Mandan; aunts, Del Steckler of Edina, MN, Marian Gruenfelder of Laramie, WY, uncle James (Isabelita) Doyle of Velva, ND and three cousins, Barbara Muller, Jean Petty, and Judy Sanders. She was preceded in death by her father, Terry Steckler and grandparents, Lucas and Elizabeth Steckler and Bernard and Alice Doyle. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The ND Veterans Cemetery, Arthritis Foundation, Central Dakota Humane Society or Morton Mandan Public Library.